40 Years Later

January 27, 1985|Sunday Call-Chronicle

Nearly 40 years ago - on April 1, 1945, to be exact - American forces invaded Okinawa, a prefecture of Japan. One of the bloodiest battles of World War II ensued before the Japanese were conquered in late June.

What prompted the reminiscing was a picture of two generals side by side, reviewing U.S. troops in Washington, D.C. One was Gen. John Vessey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The other was Gen. Keitaro Watanabe, chairman of the Japanese Joint Staff Council, who arrived Thursday for a visit.

It's a fairly safe bet that they went wherever they went afterward in an American-made car.